Celebrate Earth Day all year long with this daily calendar. Filled with hundreds of tips on eco-friendly living this calendar will help you protect the environment and make the world a better place!



Dec 3


Look for the recycling symbol – a triangle with a number in it – on the pool covers. Then check with your local recycling center to see what numbers they accept. The most primitive faciliites accept only #1, or #1 and #2, but some places accept anything from #1-#7. #7 is "other", so even if the pool covers have no marking at all, you can still recycle them if the recycler takes #7.

Oct 27

should pool solar cover be used bubbles up or down?

bubbles down. when the rays hit the cover they refract more through the bubbles and give off more solar heat when it passes through it. be carefull though they get fragile after awhile from chemicals and start to fall apart and can clog your pump and skimmer baskets.

Oct 8


I have a solar cover and it works great to warm up the pool using only the heat of the sun. My pool is in the sun most of the day, from 10am to about 4pm, so the cover is great for this. I use it when I first open it in early May when it’s still a little cool. Usually it’s warm enough then for Memorial weekend. I keep it on especially at night to retain the heat.
I suppose if you have lots of shade, it won’t work as well. They are not that expensive compared to other things for pools like chemicals, etc. For less than a few hundred dollars you can cover a 20 x 40 pool. If you get the solar cover reel then that adds to the cost.

All in all, it’s still cheaper than heaters which use enery. Why add anymore to the cost of running the pool? So use the sun’s energy instead. I’m looking into solar panels also. This would be good for pools that are mostly in the shade as long as the panels can be mounted somewhere close and be fully in the sun.

Sep 22

time to replace the solar pool cover. wondering which type people find most effective. seems like vendors are pitching differenct kinds.

bubbly type? prism? clear? aluminum?
thanks elmagee3. seems like bubbly type also has sub kinds. any idea on which is better?

I have both the cheap cover and the more expensive aluminized version and to be honest I think they both work about the same.

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